Last night, as I was returning to my flat in London, I was attacked and mugged by a group of individuals.
Luckily, I have no injuries and I am ok. Unfortunately, they just took my phone so I’m without one for the foreseeable future.
I want to thank the @metpoliceuk for their swift response and support. The officers who assisted me went above and beyond. They are a remarkable credit to the force.
If you need to reach me, please contact my office on 01253 532 401. Thank you.
🚨 All of the announcements in Labour's first Budget
Tax - £40bn worth
- Lower rate of Capital Gains Tax rises from 10% to 18%; higher rate from 20% to 24%. Rates for residential property remain unchanged
- Inheritance tax threshold freeze extended to 2030, after which the first £325,000 of any estate will be taxed at 40%
- Inherited pensions will be brought into inheritance tax from April 2027. Exemptions when inheriting farmland to be made more strict from 2026
- Income tax thresholds will not be frozen past 2028 - they will rise with inflation
- Income tax and National Insurance rates for employees stay the same
- From April, businesses will pay National Insurance on earnings over £5,000 (down from £9,100), with the rate rising from 13.8% to 15% to raise £25bn
- Relief for small businesses as Employment Allowance will increase from £5,000 to £10,500 - 865,000 employers won’t pay any National Insurance at all next year
- Tax on private equity managers’ profits rises from up to 28% to 32% from April
- Corporation tax rate stays at 25% until the next election for profits over £250,000
- The current 75% discount to business rates - due to expire in April 2025 - will be replaced by a discount of 40%
- The non-dom tax regime will be abolished from April 2025
Transport:
- Regulated rail fares will increase by 4.6% in March 2025; most railcards will also rise by £5
- The £2 bus cap will increase to £3 starting in January
- 5p fuel duty cut extended for another year and fuel duty frozen for next year
- Commitment to fund tunneling work for HS2 to reach Euston station
- Commitment to upgrade the trans-Pennine rail line from York to Manchester
- Air Passenger Duty on private jets will increase by 50%
Smoking, vapes, and alcohol:
- New vaping tax of £2.20 per 10ml of liquid starts in October 2026
- Tobacco tax to increase by 2% above inflation; 10% above inflation for hand-rolling tobacco
- Alcohol tax: non-draught drinks increase by higher RPI rate, draught beer tax decreases by 1.7%
- Sugar tax review: government will review sugar tax thresholds and consider applying to milk-based drinks
Housing
- Affordable homes: budget increased by £500 million through 2026
- Social housing: providers can increase rents above inflation under a multi-year settlement
- Stamp duty: second home surcharge in England and Northern Ireland to rise from 3% to 5%
- £5 billion pledged to housing
- £230 million allocated to tackle homelessness
- Right to buy discounts to be reduced
- Dangerous cladding: £1 billion to remove cladding from unsafe homes
Pay, benefits, and pensions:
- Minimum wage for over-21s increases from £11.44 to £12.21 per hour in April
- Wage for 18-20 year-olds rises from £8.60 to £10; under-18s and apprentices go from £6.40 to £7.55
- Carers allowance: eligibility expanded to allow carers earning up to £10,000 per year to claim, adding £81.90 weekly for new recipients
- Government will publish a “Get Britain Working” white paper designed to get those who are unemployed back to work and reduce the strain on the benefits system
- New crackdown on tax avoidance
- Universal credit: new "fair repayment rate" lowers debt taken from universal credit from 25% to 15% of the standard allowance
- Pension spending: state pension costs projected to rise by 4.1%
UK debt, inflation, and economic growth:
- Economic growth: OBR predicts 1.1% growth this year, 2% in 2025, and 1.8% in 2026
- Inflation: expected to average 2.5% this year, 2.6% next year, falling to 2.3% by 2026
- Capital spending: £100bn over the next five years, expected to boost long-term GDP by 1.4%
Government spending and public services:
- NHS funding: £22.6 billion added to NHS operational budget, £3.1 billion for capital investments
- Social care: local government to receive £600 million in social care funding
- Defence and security: £2.9 billion increase in defence budget next year, plus £3 billion annually for Ukraine support "for as long as it takes"
- Departments told to make 2% savings
Education:
- School rebuilding: 500 state schools to be rebuilt, costing £1.4 billion, plus £300 million annually for maintenance and RAAC repairs
- Breakfast clubs: budget tripled to £30 million in 2025-26; core school budget up by £2.3 billion
- Further education: £300 million pledged for further education and £1 billion for special educational needs (SEN) students
- Private schools: lose business rates relief from April 2025 and will pay 20% VAT on fees from January 2025
Other announcements:
- Infected blood scandal: £11.8 billion allocated to compensate victims
- Post Office scandal: £1.8 billion for wrongly prosecuted Post Office sub-postmasters
- Mineworkers' pension scheme: government to stop receiving surplus funds
- An extra £6.6bn for the devolved nations - £3.4bn for Scotland, £1.7 billion for Wales and £1.5bn for Northern Ireland
@EricLDaugh Hahahahaha. This "polling" firm, Data Orbital, is owned by the son of Kari Lake's campaign treasurer. Folks, you're getting played so you'll claim the election was stolen. No polls for months have show Lake within striking distance of Gallego. Even Fox says she's 7 pts down!
🚨 The new minimum wages from April 2025
Over 21s: £11.44 > £12.21 - 6.7% increase
18-20: £8.60 > £10.00 - 16.3% increase
Under 18s & apprenctices: £6.40 > £7.55 - 18% increase
Labour will soon remove the 'discriminatory age bands' so all 18+ workers are paid the same rate
Have you seen these puppies? 💔
Five 7-week-old cocker spaniel pups were stolen in Kelloe, County Durham last night, leaving their mother, Freckles, heartbroken.
Please report any suspicious selling posts. If you have any info contact 101 quoting DHM-28102024-0031.
BREAKING: Trump only winning by 5
In KANSAS.
A red state he carried by 20 points in 2016 and 15 points in 2020.
If Trump’s margin is only 5 in Kansas — he is LOSING in Georgia, North Carolina, Nevada, and Arizona.
And Florida. And Texas.
Today, I take the fight to save @ZoesPlaceLiv back to Parliament.
Following my Parliamentary motion last week, today I present my bill to Govt urging a review of funding for Children’s Hospices, which should never face closure due to reliance on charity.
#SaveZoesPlaceLiverpool
I spoke to some very emotional families today, who have all been supported by @ZoesPlaceLiv in their hardest times
Today’s donation from @homebargains means the world to them
https://t.co/nHXGzbxE7B
🚨 NEW: The Lib Dems say Keir Starmer's increase to the bus fare cap is a "bus tax"
"While this new government has been left to make difficult choices, they cannot allow the burden of fixing the Conservatives’ mess to be on people and small businesses across the country."
Wow. 🙌 Another brilliant example of what Liverpool can achieve when it comes together. Massive thanks to @homebargains - another great Liverpool institution - for their generosity & helping us take a huge step toward securing the future of @ZoesPlaceLiv
https://t.co/QUFHzzQbGz
Did you know that the symptoms of a heart attack can present differently in women?
Women are 50% more likely to be misdiagnosed when having a heart attack, often with deadly consequences.
It is crucial that everyone knows the vast array of heart attack symptoms.
Have you seen this 41 year old Male, Kerry? Kerry has been #missing since 26thOCTOBER 2024. He is known to frequent #Stratford#Newham#Plaistow .If you have any information, call 101 giving reference CAD 2340/28OCT24
@MPSWForest
🚨🚨BREAKING NEWS 🚨🚨Stephen Lennon (AKA Tommy Robinson) is heading to prison after pleading guilty to breaking a 2021 High Court order. This case came to court because the @hopenothate team compiled a dossier of evidence proving he was involved in the release of Silenced.
It was as a result of our dossier that Contempt of Court charges were laid on Lennon.
Today's verdict was the culmination of three years hard work and goes some way to delivering justice for Jamal Hijazi.
A huge shout out to the whole @hopenothate team 🙌🙌🙌